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The Gulf region's leading men's luxury lifestyle magazine. For men who understand that the true value of luxury is its foundation in knowledge. Not so much a website, but an indispensable guide to life.

Subscribe to the magazine

The Gulf region's leading men's luxury lifestyle magazine. For men who understand that the true value of luxury is its foundation in knowledge. Not so much a website, but an indispensable guide to life.

The kilted Spartan – EDGAR chats to Gerard Butler

Anybody who has seen the 2006 hit 300 will know that Gerard Butler, who starred in the film as the musclebound Spartan King Leonidas, is the epitome of a strong leading male actor. The 45-year-old former lawyer has been lighting up the big screen for more than 15 years now, and he's still going strong, as he's set for the lead role in upcoming action flick London Has Fallen, which is due to come out in cinemas this autumn. Also the new face of the Boss Bottled campaign, which will see him visit The Dubai Mall this Friday, March 20, Butler took some time out of his busy schedule to chat to us about family, red carpet style and how the right scent can send a man crazy. Here are the excerpts:

Strong senseWearing a fragrance makes such a difference to how you feel about yourself. When you feel that you smell nice, with a fragrance that is tailored to what you like, then it gives you extra confidence. You really start vibing with what is around you. It’s similar to the clothes you wear. The same also works for people around you. It can be that the scent of a woman, dare I say, is the thing that drives you crazy. And the difference between a scent you like and how that draws you to a woman, and a scent you don’t like and how that can definitely push you away. Without a doubt fragrances are hugely important.

Go to styleI like wearing suits. They feel great to put on and it affects you. When you wear suit you stand straighter, you have a different deportment, you have a different air and confidence about yourself - you feel sexy. When I was a lawyer [before I became an actor] I wore suits every day for years – so I still try to dress down when I can, normally in a good pair of jeans, boots and a T-shirt or sweater. Occasionally, when it is called for, I will wear a kilt. A kilt to a Scotsman is what a suit is to the rest of the world.

Kilted upI once wore a kilt on the red carpet for my filmLaw Abiding Citizen. It was in Scotland, and all my family and friends were there, so I wore a kilt and it was a lot of fun. But normally, deciding what to wear on the red carpet can be a tricky one. When you’re the leading man in a movie, you’d rather not attract too much attention to yourself, so it’s better to be subtle – wear a sharp suit, but not something loud and in your face like a kilt. A kilt is great, but it’s so defining, and most of the time when you’re doing these red carpets then that’s not really the best way to present yourself.

Family tiesI’m close with my family. My sister has two daughters and my brother has two little girl twins, so I have four nieces, which is amazing. That was the worst thing about Christmas last year, not being back home for them. I was talking to my family and they were like “all the girls are bored now”. But we Facetime and we Skype, and they’ll come out on holiday or I’ll go and see them. I think it’s important to have strong male role models. My dad wasn’t there and I’m sad about that and often I wish that he’d been around. I didn’t see him until I was 16. But I’m fortunate that I come from a large Catholic family, and it is a bit like the clan system, so I grew up with all my uncles and great uncles around. That definitely helped me. Details: Gerard butler will be visiting The Dubai Mall on Friday, March 20, as the ambassador of Boss Bottled. For more visit parisgallery.com

Subscribe to the magazine

The Gulf region's leading men's luxury lifestyle magazine. For men who understand that the true value of luxury is its foundation in knowledge. Not so much a website, but an indispensable guide to life.